Radiance Medispa Franchise group, a franchisor of medical spas, plans to open 100 facilities within the next year. The first Radiance Medspa (Med Spa) opened in Scottsdale, with four other medispa units on the drawing board and expected to open throughout the Valley by mid-January. With the popularity of television shows such as "Nip/Tuck", "Extreme Makeover", and "The Swan", more people are considering plastic surgery to other age-defying procedures, said Chuck Engelmann, president and co-founder of Radiance Medispa.

"The industry is coming into it's own", he said, adding that aesthetic medicine is an $8.5 billion industry nationwide. As the baby-boomer population continues to grow. "Right now, you've got a person turning 50 every eight seconds," Engelmann said. That's 12,000 people a day turning 50."

Depending on the size of the facility, a Radiance Medspa (Med Spa) franchisee's investment can range anywhere from $265,000 to $535,000. Profitability of a store depends on volume, he said. The business model allows physicians as well as entrepreneurs to become a franchisee. "That's so rare, we have actually applied for a patent," Engelmann said.

Engelmann said he plans to cap the number of franchises in the Valley at seven or eight, adding that potential site could be in Mesa, Arizona; the Arrowhead Ranch area of Glendale, Arizona; and the Scottsdale-Fountain Hills area. Facilities are designed to have physicians and clinical practitioners providing non-surgical cosmetic treatments in a spa-like environment.

The Radiance Medispa (med Spa) facilities are targeted to those who have skin problems such as acne, age spots and facial lines. Services range from facials, Botox and light pulse hair removal. All medical clinicians are trained by the Chief Medical Officer and a board certified Plastic Surgeon.

Andrea Smiley, spokeswomen for the Arizona Medical Association, said board certification is an important qualification when choosing a doctor. But equally important, she said, is finding a doctor with a long track record of providing a particular treatment.

By Angela Gonzales, The Business Journal

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